Colossians 4:7 - Meaning and Application

At the end of this letter, the apostle Paul honors several friends by naming them. Their names have been preserved with words of respect, and the church has kept that witness ever since. He begins with Tychicus, whom he used to send this letter to the Colossians. Paul does not write out the details of his own condition, because Tychicus can tell them in person more fully.

Paul knew the Colossians would want to hear how he was doing. Churches naturally care about faithful ministers and want to know their condition. So he describes Tychicus as a beloved brother and a faithful minister. Paul, though he was a great apostle, gladly called a faithful minister his brother, and even his beloved brother. Faithfulness is a truly beautiful thing, and it deserves our love and respect.

Tychicus is also called a fellow servant in the Lord. Ministers are servants of Christ, and they are fellow servants with one another. They serve the same Lord, even if their gifts and assignments differ. It adds much to the strength and beauty of the gospel ministry when ministers treat one another with kindness and help protect one another’s good name. Paul sent Tychicus not only to tell them about his own affairs, but also to learn about theirs and encourage their hearts (Colossians 4:8).

Paul wanted to hear from them as much as they wanted to hear from him. He felt bound to care about them, just as he expected them to care about him. In the troubles and burdens of life, it is a great comfort to have the loving concern of fellow Christians.

Next he mentions Onesimus, a faithful and beloved brother, who is one of you. Onesimus had been sent back from Rome with Tychicus. This was the man Paul had become a spiritual father to while he was in chains (Philemon 1:10). He had once been Philemon’s servant, and was likely a member, if not a minister, of their church. He had fled from his master’s service and was converted in Rome. He was now probably being sent back with the letter to Philemon, to be received again into his master’s house.

Paul still calls him a faithful and beloved brother, though he had once been a poor servant and a bad man. In Christ, a person’s former rank in life or past wickedness does not change the bond between sincere believers. They share the same privileges and the same welcome. The righteousness of God through faith in Jesus Christ is for all who believe, because there is no difference (Romans 3:22). There is neither Jew nor Greek, bond nor free, for all are one in Christ Jesus (Galatians 3:28). It may be that by now Onesimus had been converted for some time and had even entered the ministry, since Paul calls him a brother.

Paul also sends greetings from Aristarchus, his fellow prisoner. Those who share the same work and the same sufferings should be joined together in holy love. Paul had a special affection for those who served and suffered with him.

Then he mentions Mark, the nephew of Barnabas, one of the gospel writers. Paul says, If he comes to you, receive him. Paul had once disagreed sharply with Barnabas about Mark, because Mark had left them in Pamphylia and had not continued in the work (Acts 15:38). Paul had refused to take Mark with him then, and Barnabas took him instead. But now Paul is not only reconciled to Mark himself, he also recommends him to the churches. This is a strong example of a truly Christian forgiving spirit. If people have once fallen into fault, that fault must not always be kept against them. We must learn to forgive and to forget. If someone is caught in a fault, those who are spiritual should restore that person gently, in a spirit of meekness (Galatians 6:1).

He next speaks of Jesus, called Justus. Jesus is the Greek form of Joshua. It may be that this man changed his name to Justus out of honor for the Redeemer. Or it may be that Jesus was his Jewish name, since he was of the circumcision, and Justus was his Roman or Latin name. Paul says these men were his fellow workers for the kingdom of God, and they had been a comfort to him. What comfort the apostle found in the fellowship of saints and ministers! One was his fellow servant, another his fellow prisoner, and all of them were fellow workers. They were laboring for their own salvation and helping others toward salvation as well. Good ministers take great comfort in those who labor with them for the kingdom of God. Their friendship and fellowship together are a real refreshment in suffering and hardship.

Then Paul mentions Epaphras, the same man as Epaphroditus. He was one of the Colossians, one of their own church, and he sends his greetings. He was always laboring fervently for them in prayer. Epaphras had learned from Paul how to pray often and earnestly for friends. He did not pray lazily or rarely. He labored in prayer, and he labored fervently, and he kept doing it for them. Anyone who wants to grow strong in prayer must be willing to take pains in prayer. We should pray earnestly, not only for ourselves, but for others too. The effectual fervent prayer is powerful and does much good (James 5:16).

The subject of his prayer was that they might stand perfect and complete in all the will of God. That is a goal we should deeply desire for ourselves and for others. We should stand complete in all of God’s will, in the will of his commands by obeying fully, and in the will of his providence by submitting cheerfully. We stand perfect and complete in both only by steadfastness and perseverance to the end. Paul bears witness that Epaphras had great zeal for them. He could testify that Epaphras truly cared for their good, and that everything he did for them came from that warm concern. His concern reached beyond Colossae to those in Laodicea and Hierapolis as well. He had a deep care for the Christian work in the surrounding places, not only among the Colossians.

Luke is also named here, the beloved physician. This is the same Luke who wrote the Gospel and the Acts, and who traveled with Paul. He was both a physician and an evangelist. Christ himself both taught and healed, and he is the great physician of the church, as well as its prophet. Luke is called the beloved physician, because he had won special affection from his friends. The skill of a physician is a useful gift in a minister and may be used for wider service and greater usefulness among Christians.

It is not certain whether this was written before or after the second letter to Timothy. In that later letter, we read, “Demas has deserted me because he loved this present world” (2 Timothy 4:10). Some have thought this letter came later, and if so, it shows that although Demas left Paul, he did not leave Christ. Or he may have left for a time, then came back, and Paul forgave him and still counted him as a brother.

Others think it is more likely that this letter was written earlier, this one around the year 62 and the other around 66. If that is right, then it shows how important Demas once was, even though he later turned away. Many people who have made a strong public profession and gained a good name among Christians have later fallen away in shame. “They went out from us, but they were not really of us” (1 John 2:19).

The believers in Laodicea are also mentioned, since they lived near Colosse. Paul sends them greetings, and he tells the Colossians to have this letter read in the church of the Laodiceans (Colossians 4:16). That likely means a copy was to be sent there so it could be read publicly in their assembly. Some think Paul also sent another letter at this same time to Laodicea, and told the Colossians to bring back that letter and read it in their church. If so, that letter has been lost and was never part of the Bible’s final written collection, since not every letter written by the apostles was preserved, just as not everything Jesus said and did was written down. “If every one of them were written down, I suppose even the whole world would not have room for the books that would be written” (John 21:25). Others think this was the letter to the Ephesians, which we still have.

Nymphas is mentioned as a believer in Colosse who had a church in his house. That means either a godly household where worship was regularly held, or a part of the congregation met there when no public meeting place was available. Because they were under threat from enemies, they had to gather in private homes. “The disciples were together, with the doors locked for fear of the Jews” (John 20:19), and Paul himself preached in his rented house and in his own lodging (Acts 28:23, Acts 28:30). In the first sense, Nymphas showed clear personal devotion. In the second, he showed zeal and a willingness to serve the church openly.

Archippus, one of the ministers at Colosse, is also mentioned. The believers are told to remind him to pay attention to his ministry, watch over it carefully, and finish it well. He was to stay diligent in every part of his work and keep at it to the end. They were not to be pulled away by side issues or by matters that were less important than the main purpose of ministry.

This teaches us that the ministry we receive is a great honor, because it is received in the Lord and by his command. It also means that those who receive it must carry it out fully. Those who do the Lord’s work carelessly betray their trust and will give a sad account in the end. And the people may remind their ministers of their duty and stir them up to it, as they were told to say to Archippus, “Take heed to the ministry.” But this should be done with respect and good sense, not with pride or a superior spirit.

Paul closes with these words: “The salutation of me, Paul. Remember my chains.” He had a scribe write the rest of the letter, but he wrote these words himself. He does not say, “Remember that I am a prisoner and send me help.” Instead, he says, “Remember my chains” as the apostle to the Gentiles, so that this may strengthen their faith in the gospel of Christ. His suffering gave extra weight to his appeal, just as he says, “I, therefore, the prisoner of the Lord, beg you to live a life worthy of the calling” (Ephesians 4:1). “Grace be with you” means, may God’s favor, and all the good that flows from it, be with you and be your portion.